Introduction to the GCSE Electronic Products Course.

This GCSE requires you to design and make an electronic product that could be manufactured &  marketed in today's society. For the GCSE you usually have to show how you could produce a batch of 50 in school with the facilities you have available. Something to remember when you start your project. If you can't make it in school then there is no real point in going through the design work.

In year 10 you will be taught a lot of theory about such things as components and types of:

Input: Like Switches & other sensors.

Control: Like Transistors, thyristors etc...

Output: Such as lamps and LEDs etc...

Theory and Calculations such as Ohms Law and calculating Power etc.. (a link to most electronics information can be found on the links page)

You will also learn about integrated circuits and how they can be incorporated into a circuit to achieve specific outputs; such as alarm type circuits.

The above is only an example and it is not my intention to go through electronics theory on this site (Your teacher will do that!)

You will also be shown (depending on resources available in your school) to simulate and test your circuit prior to manufacture. An important part of the design process, depending on your school this could be done through prototype boards (breadboards) or through CAD programs like Crocodile clips and PCB Wizard.

As well as the electronics side of the course you will also be shown examples of previous products whether pupil projects or actual products that are on sale. This is so you can consider the packaging of your product, the case or other it is in. Other considerations will be mentioned such as health and safety, cost, how it will be made/ manufactured (possibly CAM), materials used and why etc... All of these will be factors you need to consider for your major project.

Most exam boards split up the course into coursework and final terminal examinations. OCR have 2 end exams. The course work element of this GCSE accounts for 60% of your final grade and the final 40% being made up with the examination (s). OCR and  most other exam boards split up the marks roughly the same.

OCR example: Design Need and Brief; upto 4 marks.

Research leading to detailed specification; up to 12 marks.

Design ideas; up to 14 marks.

Design development; up to 14 marks.

Planning and making; up to 48 marks

Evaluating and Testing 8 marks.

SPG; 5 marks.

Common sense tells you to work hardest and the parts of the course that get you most marks. Spending a month on your design brief is not time well spent.

Project Outlines